This Old House
by TrueEnglishRose
Summary: One rule for buying at auction. Never buy blind. Jasper knew this, but he did it anyway. What lies in the ruins of what he bought? Can he fix everything there? J&E. All human.


**This story is currently being edited to fall in line with this site's TOS and guidelines.**

**For further information, please see my profile or PM me.**

* * *

><p>-JPOV-<p>

"_Nestled in the forest just fifty miles from here, is Whitlock Manor. It was was built by William Whitlock himself. In its day; it was a beautiful example of a true family home. Today it stands in ruins, but there is a bright side. The land has been given permission to have the main house demolished and in its place, one hundred and twenty luxury homes built…"_

"Seven point one?"

A nod in reply.

"Seven point two?"

A raised hand.

"Seven point three?"

Another nod.

I was getting bored now. This started at five hundred thousand and had been creeping up slowly ever since.

"Ten million." I shouted out.

Enough of this shit.

There were a few gasps, but I didn't give a shit. This was mine and I wanted it. No fucker was going to take it from me. I'd worked too hard over the years to just give up now, so good luck to any little shit who thought that they could take this away from me.

"Going once, going twice," _Bang _"Whitlock Manor is sold to the gentleman sitting in the last row."

I smiled victoriously. No fucker was going to pull it down.

It was _mine_.

Ok, so not the smartest move in the world, buying blind, but like I said, I didn't give a shit. The manor had been built by my Great, Great Granddad in eighteen fifty three when he turned forty. Up until then, he'd just owned the land and had a little cabin with his wife and kids, seven of them in fact.

It wasn't until he came into money from lucrative business dealings that he had the money to better himself.

And he did that well.

I'm now the head of the company he started so many years ago. It's changed a lot over the years and no doubt he'd turn in his grave if he could see me now, but we still stood by his principles and that's what counted.

It was also good that I had inherited his love of life and love of people. I liked to see the good in everyone and enjoyed life to the full. I lived for my family and friends and my life revolved around them, especially my nieces and nephews.

I couldn't wait until the place was safe enough to have them come to visit. They would love both the house and the grounds.

With the adrenaline still pumping in my system, I was ushered to another room to complete the paperwork.

I got a few raised brows as I gave them my name, obviously they could put two and two together with my name and that of the family home. Clever girls. One in particular gave me her number. I laughed at that. Sorry, but I don't do blondes and she certainly didn't have the required anatomy to 'float my boat' as it were.

Once I grabbed the paperwork and my keys, I made my way out of the stuffy building and towards my car. My driver was perched on the hood of it, reading a paper.

He was a good guy and was always there when I needed him, and not just for driving. He was a good friend and that's what I needed in a city like this. He was the only one, apart from my sister and brother-in-law, who knew I was gay.

"Seth, I'm ready when you are," I chuckled as he slid off the black car and smirked at me. He wasn't that much younger than me, but always acted like a big kid.

"Congratulations, Boss." He laughed as he opened my door. I hated him doing that. I felt like a kid.

"And how did you know that I got it?" I raised a brow with my question.

"Like you wouldn't get it, you've been after it for seven years, Jasper. I knew you'd get it, just a matter of time really."

That was true. The manor had passed between hands more times than I cared to count, but it was finally mine.

"Office?" he asked as he looked in the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah, I've got to grab a few things before I head to the manor."

It might have been a little presumptuous, but I already got the contractor ready to start. Working from the basement up, the house would be overhauled. Not leaving one thing out, I was planning on _resuscitating_ the house. I wanted this to be my family home, full of the comforts that I just couldn't get in the city.

I could have a beautiful garden, a music room, and most of all, no prying eyes.

I wasn't needed in the office every day, so I would be setting up a small office in the manor and have that as my base. On the days I was needed to go in, I would just have to drive. It wouldn't take me long, so I didn't mind.

Once in the office, I made a few calls, updated a couple of documents and then bid Charlotte, my PA, a quick goodbye. I would be out of the office for the next couple of weeks, but she knew she could always get hold of me.

I already had everything I needed in the bed of my truck, so I was good to go. I would actually be staying in the manor for the first night or two until we could clear the vegetation that had built up over the years in the huge front yard. Once that was done, we'd be getting in trailers to stay in until the manor was completed.

~(*)~

The drive there was relaxing as I listened to the shitty music on the radio. And as shitty as it was, I still found myself singing along to the songs.

Nothing could dampen my mood.

It felt like it took me forever to drive down the three mile driveway. It was extremely bumpy and severely overgrown, but once I pulled up to the dilapidated house, I smiled.

This was it.

Yes, it was decaying.

Yes, it was broken.

Yes, it needed one hell of a lot of care.

But it was mine.

I stopped the truck once I could go as far as I could and got out. I sat on the hood of the truck until the sun started to set, just looking at the building. The once white façade of the house was now dirty and missing in places. All the sash windows were broken, but thankfully boarded up. Tiles were missing from the roof, leaving gaping holes for the weather to get in.

From my research and old photos, I knew that the house had a kitchen with a utility space attached to it, two bathrooms, four bedrooms, a study come library, a day room, a nursery and at one point it even had a sun room. The attic space was apparently once large room, spanning the whole house, but the basement was made up of several little rooms.

I had a lot of work ahead, but I was pleased.

The whole property was encased in woodland, so I knew I wouldn't have to worry about being overlooked.

I looked back at my paperwork. I didn't need to, I had memorized everything I could about the property, but seeing it in black and white made me feel good.

The land was over 50 acres, had a natural spring and a stream at the northern edge and somewhere in the wildness of the back yard, there was a large pond. I would have to remind McCarty about that. I didn't need the great oaf falling in and drowning.

I'd never live it down if anything happened to him. I would forever face the wrath of my sister, Rosalie. We had all grown up together and to be honest, I never saw it coming. I always thought they were just like brother and sister; they certainly fought like they were. When Emmett came to me and asked about dating her, I was floored.

Three years later and they were married. Just nine months after that, my first nephew came into the world. Now they had a grand total of four kids, two boys, two girls and Emmett was firing blanks, thanks to the 'snip'.

I got down from the hood and went to grab a few necessities from the truck. I wasn't looking forward to pumping up the air bed, but it was only for the night. I also wasn't looking forward to finding water in this place. It hadn't been lived in since the seventies, so there was no way I trusted the water in the pipes, if they worked at all, or the electricity for that matter.

Bottles of water, flash lights and candles would have to do.

At least I understood why Rose didn't want to bring the kids up here just yet. No useable bathrooms either.

Thank God the portable toilets would be here in the morning.

The wrap around porch squeaked under my feet and I was suddenly hit by a spooky feeling, like I was being watched. A second later I chuckled. Who on earth would be here? The nearest town was at least seven miles away.

Shaking my head, I took out the rusty key for the front door and put it in the lock. It took a few minutes, but I wiggled the lock free and the door creaked open after I booted it with my foot.

With the windows boarded up, it was pitch black inside.

I got the flash light out of my bag and turned it on.

From what I could see of the entrance hall, the inside fared no better than the outside. The old wallpaper was falling off in strips and there were several floor boards missing. There were quite a few bare patches where the plaster had fallen off the wall, but it seemed that nothing could shut off the feelings of euphoria that surrounded me.

It was no use trying to see the rest of the house in the dark and Emmett would be here by six in the morning, so I decided that it was best to get some sleep. I walked around until I could find the day room and set up 'camp' for the night.

After finally getting the bed to pump up and setting out the rest of my stuff, I settled into the make shift bed.

I set the alarm on my phone and snuggled deeply into the sleeping bag.

I got the feeling that I was being watched again.

"God, I'm not four. There are no such things as ghosts or ghouls." I grumbled as I laid my head down on the pillow.

~(*)~

The following morning came quickly and I was like a kid at Christmas, not the thirty three year old that I was.

In the dim light that filtered through the cracks of the boards, I could make out most of the room. There was a grand fireplace with built in units either side of it. A huge mirror was over the mantle and it was certainly ornately carved. The rest of the room looked the same as the entrance hall, peeling walls and missing floorboards.

I was eager to see the rest of the house. Jumping up, I made my way outside to relieve myself.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Christ, it was bloody cold.

I did what I needed to do and then rushed back in. It was still dark in there, but not as dark as the night before. Starting from the attic, I made my way through the house, but left the basement alone. I was still a little spooked about the feelings I had last night and I didn't exactly want to go down there on my own.

The house was beautiful.

It had fireplaces in all the rooms, cornicing, wall sconces and picture rails. The bathrooms still had their roll top baths and I couldn't wait to do them up and have a good soak. I tested the taps and what water did flow out was brown and almost like sludge, but at least it drained down the plug hole.

It would take some serious hard work, but it would all be worth it.

I had visions of turning a couple of the bedrooms in to rooms for my nieces and nephews, having a games room and landscaping the garden.

Rose was amazing at visualizing things, so there was no doubt that she would help me out.

Deep down I also knew that I wanted my own future children to be here. Ok, so I needed a boyfriend or husband first, but it was still a possibility, I wasn't _that_ old.

A loud honk of a horn brought my attention back to the here and now. Emmett had pulled up outside and I rushed to meet him.

"Damn, Jaz, this is a hell hole!" They were his first words that greeted me.

"It looks that way now, but its amazing inside. It needs some work, but we'll get there."

"Some work? Jaz, it's gonna take us months! I know you want to do things all eco and shit, but this is gonna be a _mission_." He grumbled as he sat down on a rotten log.

"I know that, but look at it this way. Rose will know where you are at all times and once it's safer, they can all come up and join you." I was clinging to the hope that once Rose was here, it would make things a lot better.

She wasn't sold on the idea of me buying this place. Don't get me wrong, she was all in for family values, but it would take a lot of hard work and money. It also meant that we wouldn't be living too close to each other, which would be a first.

He gave out a large huff and stood back up.

"Show me what's gonna happen then, Boss." Urgh, I hated him calling me that.

We walked around the outside of the house and I started showing him what needed to be cleared. I didn't want everything cut back, just enough to get the machinery in and the trailers. The rest of the land I would clear myself, in time.

"What's going on over there?" Emmett asked, totally perplexed. He pointed over to what looked like a head stone. I shrugged my shoulders and walked the short distance to it.

I knelt down to see that all around the head stone had been cleared and a jar was placed in the ground. In the jar were some wild flowers. They weren't freshly picked, but must have only been here a couple of days.

I looked up to read the headstone.

It was William Whitlock and his wife, Lucy.

I didn't even realize that they'd been buried here.

"I wonder who's been up here clearing it?" Emmett mused as I looked up to him.

I knew it wouldn't have been our dad; he died when I was a baby and mom certainly wouldn't have been up here.

"I don't know, Em. No one I know would have come up here, that's for sure." I said as the hairs on the back of my neck went up.

Someone had been here. Was that why I got the feeling that I was being watched?

I didn't have time to think any more of it because the rest of Emmett's crew came up to the house.

There were twenty five of us working hard to do our jobs. We had all branched off; doing the jobs we needed to do.

We were busy all morning clearing the front of the property. It was hard work, but by lunchtime we were making good headway. We even managed to get all the boards off the windows. The difference it made to the inside of the house was amazing.

Generators were brought in for the electricity and a truck load of water canisters were delivered. And let's not forget the lovely outside portable toilets.

Emmett and myself were in the kitchen when there was a disturbance coming from the entrance hall.

"Please! _Please_ let me go!" the pleading whimpers broke through our conversation and we both ran out of the room.

Once in the entrance hall, I saw Mike raise his hand to a mound of rags on the floor.

"Mike!" Emmett shouted at him as I walked towards him.

"Please, please let me go." The rags started to shake and whispered an almost silent plea.

"I found the bastard hauled up in the basement. It looks like he made a pretty good home for himself down there." Mike spat out as Emmett pulled him out of the hall.

"What's your name?" I asked. No doubt this was a child who thought it was good to play house in _my_ house. That didn't impress me.

This was my home and I wouldn't have any one here uninvited.

I gasped loudly as the owner of the rags looked up to me. I didn't take anything in except two things.

One, he was _not_ a child.

Two, he had to most vivid green eyes I'd ever seen.


End file.
